Lots of ice is involved in transporting broccoli from the field to a warehouse and to the store. Not only does ice add significant weight to each box of product, but it also carries food safety risks. Hazel Technologies has now developed packaging with BreatheWay® membrane technology that fully eliminates the need for ice during transportation. After broccoli is harvested, pre-cooled and palletized, a BreatheWay membrane bag will be placed on the pallet. Instead of applying a bag to each individual box, a pallet bag will save on labor, as well as plastic and material costs.

Reduced food safety risks
‍"Our membrane technology creates the desirable modified atmosphere for broccoli, delivering high quality product without the involvement of ice," says Malkeet Padda, VP of Postharvest at Hazel. "One of the benefits of going iceless is a reduced food safety risk as water is usually a carrier of pathogens. Eliminating the use of liquid ice slurry can reduce that risk," he said. In addition, boxes that don't contain ice are less heavy, reducing transportation costs. Shipping broccoli on ice requires the use of waxed cardboard boxes, which are generally not recyclable due to the wax coating and can contaminate the recycling process.

Weight loss reduction
‍If implemented correctly, BreatheWay's Modified Atmosphere bags should deliver freshness and shelf-life similar to broccoli that is shipped on ice. "In fact, the bags create a high-humidity atmosphere inside the bag, reducing weight loss. This will result in a better product upon arrival and lower economic losses for retailers," Padda shared.

Up until today, Hazel Technology has done multiple studies at case liner level and the company is looking for industry partners for commercial trials as well as to evaluate the financial benefits of shifting from ice to modified atmosphere bags.